In 1977, at the age of 17, Yusef's father came to America to escape Muammar Gaddafi’s oppressive regime. Building a better life for himself and his family proved difficult, however, as he soon found himself raising five children in a household $60,000 in debt. After his father lost his job, Yusef started working part-time under the Federal Work-Study program as a research assistant in order to finance a greater share of his education and support his family. Having carried his own financial burdens, he followed his passion to serve vulnerable communities as a Moneythink mentor in financial literacy and the Vice President of Student Government at the University of Chicago. Yusef has found working in the service of his community among the most rewarding work he has ever done and hopes to continue that work with Phoenix Development Fund – a student-led, community-minded, non-profit organization – as a Resolution Fellow.

Brandon Liu worked with Joshua Lee on the Venture Tech in the World in Cambridge, MA. After completing his BA in Computer Science at Harvard University in 2014, he received a Master of Science Degree in Development Studies from the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London in 2015, and a Master of Science Degree in Political Sociology at the London School of Economics in 2016.